Alive and kicking in a tranquil historic rural village in Norfolk - East Anglia.
Living out retirement in a haze of happy veggie growing, cooking, chicken keeping, and enjoying new arty crafty hobbies

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Allotment Diary - Me 25.5hrs. He 23hrs.

We worked up the allotment on Sunday and today.

(Well I did most of the work on Sunday as the Patrick, myself, and Geoff were trying to get the lawn mower started - in the end we gave up and Patrick took it to a friend of ours in another village - and left it there to be fixed. When he tried it yesterday it started first time! Wouldn't you just know it - so our friend serviced it anyway, and we collected it today, so were up there early.)

Sunday I dug over this bed, put in the raised beds, and planted some broad beans. Today I finished off the job and planted some more seeds at the end.

Today I mowed all the paths - and I so wish I had taken a before photo.

It looks a bit pale on the left as it was a bit long and I had to go over it three times with the mower on different height settings - on the right of the photo is where it s longer - and greener.

I got Patrick to clear out the bonfire corner. He has had so many in the 'special' corner, that the incinerator was about 2ft off the ground with all the ash underneath it. Plus he had just piled on all the stuff over the winter - so you can see, bossy me has made him clear it all out.

I actually helped him quite a lot. The piles of ash he has piled between the gooseberry bushes, as per my instructions - well he is the under-gardener so needs guidance! I'll spread it all out around them - it will make a super mulch and will also enrich the soil. I piled the grass cuttings on top of the rows of potatoes - again as a mulch to keep the frost off - and to keep the weeds down.

The comfrey is looking good and floushing - it's early this year. These were just little cuttings last year which I moved from the plot I gave up at the bottom of this one.

It is looking lovely and neat and I have got it all under control. The covered area I am going to keep covered all year, as I am growing more veggies at home as I have to keep out of the sun

Oh and just before we left I put up a gate - still got to finish it, and it's a bit 'Heath Robinson' but it keeps the rabbits out.

My next job will be to mow the lawns at the top end, dig a pit and fill it with well rotted manure in readiness for the climbing beans - and start sowing seeds at home!

Oh and I picked some rhubarb, and froze it, and made a rhubarb sponge pudding!

3 comments:

I've never had rhubarb sponge! Nearly always crumble or pie.The goos gogs should do wellthen with all that ash, how about the jostaberries, will they get some too?You seem to have the 'lotment under control, shame about the 'arsonist' LOL! (Sorry Patrick!)

Lottie you need to post more and faster, I have had dial up net for ever and this week i got dsl so I am whizzing arount the net at atomic speed. Like your garden picture. I hsve been getting my tire garden going. onions, lettuce, radishes and Potatoes. I have been reading about growing potatoes in a bag, have you seen that it's all over th net.